Watermelon 'Sugarbaby'

Citrullus lanatus 'Sugarbaby'

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Sugarbaby is a small, sweet, well-flavoured watermelon with very few small, tan-black seeds. Each plant produces two or three melons. Watermelon is a spreading trailing plant that produces large round to oblong fruits with a mottled or striped green skin. Sugarbaby has red flesh. Watermelon is grown in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide for its large edible fruit, which is a special kind of berry with a hard rind and no internal division, botanically called a pepo. The sweet, juicy flesh is usually deep red to pink, with many black seeds, although seedless varieties have been cultivated. Watermelons are tender and need a long warm growing season to produce its fruit.
Watermelon fruit is 91% water, contains 6% sugars, and is low in fat. In a 100 gram serving, watermelon fruit supplies 30 calories and low amounts of essential nutrients, only vitamin C is present in appreciable content at 10% of the Daily Value.

Planning

Difficulty

Easy

Flowering time

Spring

Fruiting time

Summer, Autumn

Harvesting

Fruits are picked when they are fully ripe. Rolling the melon over and looking at the ground spot where the melon was laying is probably the best method to determine if the melon is ripe. If that portion of the watermelon is a pale yellow color, the melon should be ripe. You can also look at the tendrils (short, curly, stem-like vine) next to the melon. The tendrils are close to the area where a leaf is attached to the main vine. When the first tendril next to the fruit looks dead and dried up, the melon closest to that tendril should be ripe. Watermelons will store longer than other melons and should be refrigerated, especially after cut. Sugarbaby matures in 65-86 days.

Propagation

Special features

Crop rotation

Sugarbaby watermelons are heavy feeders and need a lot of nutrition.​
To reduce insect and disease problems, avoid planting cucumber family crops (melons, squash, pumpkins) in the same spot two years in a row.

Geography

Origin

South Africa

Natural climate

Sub-tropical, Tropical, Temperate

Environment

Light

Full Sun

Soil moisture

Moist

Soil type

Loam, Sand

Soil PH preference

Neutral

Frost hardiness

Tender

Uses

Edible

The fruits are edible and can be eaten raw. This variety is even small enough to fit in an icebox.
A wonderful thirst quencher on a hot summers day or added to salads, deserts and even made into jams. The rind is edible after cooking.

Personality

Family

Cucurbitaceae

Flower colour

Yellow, Green

Scent

None

Problems

Major pests of the watermelon include aphids, fruit flies and root-knot nematodes. In conditions of high humidity, the plants are prone to plant diseases such as powdery mildew and mosaic virus. Some varieties often grown in Japan and other parts of the Far East are susceptible to fusarium wilt. Grafting such varieties onto disease-resistant rootstocks offers protection.